Machine for through quenching of rolled profiles, especially of railway rails



Apnl 30, 1968 s v. GUBERT ETAL 3,380,725

MACHINE FOR THROUGH QUENCHING OF ROLLED PROFILES, ESPECIALLY OF RAILWAYRAILS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1964 FIG./

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April 30, 1968 s. v. GUBERT ETAL 3,380,725

MACHINE FOR THROUGH QUENCHING OF ROLLED PROFILES, ESPECIALLY OF RAILWAYRAILS Filed June 5. 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 30, 1968 s. v. GUBERTETAL 3,380,725

MACHINE FOR THROUGH QUENCHING OF ROLLED PROFILES, ESPECIALLY 0F RAILWAYRAILS Filed June 5, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG.4

United States Patent MACHINE FOR THROUGH QUENCHING 0F ROLLED PROFILES,ESPECIALLY 0F RAIL- WAY RAILS Stauislav Vladimirovich Gilbert, Moscow,and Dvoira Masha Aronovna Rabinovich, Nizhny Tagil, U.S.S.R., assignorsto Gosudarstvenny souzny Institute po proektirovaniu metallurgicheskichzavodov, Moscow, U.S.S.R.

Filed June 5, 1964, Ser. No. 372,924 9 Claims. (Cl. 266-6) The presentinvention relates to heat treatment of metals and, more particularly, tomachines for through quenching of rails.

We are aware that prior to this invention installations were known forquenching railroad rails in oil and other quenching mediums, one of suchinstallations for instance, being an arrangement comprising a tank withan inclined bottom and a hinged cover with springs for maintaining it inthe horizontal position. Pipes are provided inside the tank for coolingthe oil in the tank.

The rail is transferred by means of a conveyor on the tank cover; underthe action of the rail weight, said hinged cover turns, automaticallyopening the tank, and the rail being received by the bars located on theinside wall of the tank is submerged into the oil; then thespring-loaded cover closes the inlet opening of the tank. A raketravelling over the vertical wall of the tank withdraws the cooled rail.The take is moved by means of a rope and a winch.

A disadvantage of heat treatment in the installation described in theundesirable rail warping which results as well as the impossibility ofsimultaneous treatment of several rails.

An object of the present invention is to provide a machine ensuring bothstraightness of rolled profiles, especially of railroad rails, in thecourse of quenching and the possibility of simultaneous treatment ofseveral rails.

In accordance with the above-mentioned object, this invention ertains toa machine for through quenching of rails comprising a drumintermittently rotating in a tank, said drum being provided withmultiarm spiders carrying loosely suspended carriages with rollersintended to hold and straighten rails as described here and below andclaimed in the appended claims.

Although the present invention is described herein with reference to apreferred embodiment, changes and variations are possible withoutdeparting from the concept and scope of the present invention, as thoseskilled in the art will readily understand. Further objects andadvantages of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the machine according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the spider;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the carriage;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the carriage taken along line AA in FIG.3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the shaft support structure.

The machine (FIG. 1) comprises a tank 1 with a cooling medium, e.g.,oil, provided with an oil feeding receiver 2, and a drain receiver 3having respectively a feeding pipe 4 and a drainage pipe 5, a cover 6with locks 7, a pipe line 8 for inert gas delivery, an emergency drain9, and a device for charging the rails into the machine and theirwithdrawal.

Inside the tank is a drum 10 which consists of a tightly welded hollowshaft 11 with closed ends, the ends of the shaft resting on rollerbearings 12; to prevent deflection the shaft is supported by rollersuspenders 13 secured to the steel structure 14 of the tank. Severalmultiarm split spiders 15 are mounted on the shaft 11.

Each multiarm split spider (FIG. 2) is connected by means of bolts 16,bosses 17 are provided on the ends of the spider arms with bearings 18mounted therein, the latter supporting the journals 19 (FIG. 3) of thecarriages 20 (FIG. 1).

The carriage 20 comprises a frame 21 (FIG. 3) with journals 19, withthree upper rolled rollers 22 and five lower smooth cylindrical rollers23 mounted in said frame. The rollers rotate on axles 24 and bushings 25(FIG. 4).

The machine is operated as follows: the tank is filled with oil or otherliquid up to a predetermined level. The oil is fed and drainedcontinuously, the cooled oil flow being controlled so as to maintain aconstant temperature in the tank. The free space in the tank above theoil level is filled with inert gas to prevent ignition.

The drum is rotated by means of two synchronized drives located at itsends.

The heated rail with the head upwards is transferred into the carriagesbetween the upper profile and lower smooth rollers. After the rail isgripped in the carriage the drum is rotated through 30, the rail fullysubmerges into the oil and another rail is transferred into the nextcarriage.

At the tenth turn of the drum (3(10") the quenched rail is pushed outfrom the carriage and transferred by a conveying device for tempering,which is the next operation.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for quenching railroad rails in a liquid medium, saidapparatus comprising a tank for containing a liquid quenching medium, anintermittently rotatable drum in said tank, spiders mounted on said drumfor rotation therewith, said spiders including radial arms, carriageshaving ends loosely mounted in arms of adjacent spiders such that saidcarriages occupy, under gravity, a substantially vertical position, andmeans on said carriages for engaging rails therein at a number oflocations along each rail to hold the rails securely in a straightenedcondition in said carriages, the carriages and rails being immersed intothe quenching medium as the drum rotates.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said carriage includesjournals at said ends, said journals being rotatably supported in thearms of the spiders such that the carriage assumes a constant verticalposition as the drum rotates.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said journals areeccentrically supported on said carriage.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for holding therails in the carriages comprises in each carriage an upper profiledroller and a lower smooth roller, said rollers holding a rail, with thehead thereof facing upwards in the carriage during rotation of saiddrum.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for holding therails in the carriages comprises, in each carriage. a plurality ofspaced upper profiled rollers and a plurality of spaced lower smoothrollers, said rollers holding a rail, with the head thereof facingupwards in the carriage during rotation of said drum.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising roller earings supportingsaid drum.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising roller suspenders securedto said tank and supporting said drum.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising bosses with bearings onthe arms of the spiders, said carriages including journals at said endsthereof mounted in the bearings of the spider arms.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising means for filling the freespace in the tank above the level of the quenching medium with inertgas.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 Thibaudier et al. 266-6 XSevlen et al 148-155 X Evans 198-211 X Kearney et a1 198-211 Gogan266-6 1. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

JOHN F. CAMPBELL, Examiner.

10 J. D. HOBART, R. S. ANNEAR, Assistant Examiners.

1. APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING RAILROAD RAILS IN A LIQUID MEDIUM, SAIDAPPARATUS COMPRISING A TANK FOR CONTAINING A LIQUID QUENCHING MEDIUM, ANINTERMITTENTLY ROTATABLE DRUM IN SAID TANK, SPIDERS MOUNTED ON SAID DRUMFOR ROTATION THEREWITH, SAID SPIDERS INCLUDING RADIAL ARMS, CARRIAGESHAVING ENDS LOOSELY MOUNTED IN ARMS OF ADJACENT SPIDERS SUCH THAT SAIDCARRIAGES OCCUPY, UNDER GRAVITY, A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION, ANDMEANS ON SAID CARRIAGES FOR ENGAGING RAILS THEREIN AT A NUMBER OFLOCATIONS ALONG EACH RAIL TO HOLD THE RAILS SECURELY IN A STRAIGHTENEDCONDI-